SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFARI - 2001 June 21

Byron Soulsby

Canberra Astronomical Society Incorporated

Abstract

Thirteen intrepid expedition members traveled to Zambia, in Africa to observe the total solar eclipse South of the centreline at a site near Mvuu. The site details for Mvuu from Peter's GPS were19 km from Mvuu, 075 degrees True (non-magnetic). At Latitude -15d 45.627m [actual reading at corner turnoff to Mvuu camping site was 15d 45m 28.74s] and 29d14.223m [29d 13m 52.74s]. The new USNO computed centreline for delta t = 64.3 seconds, was 25 to 26 km North of our site, viz. we were 25 to 26 km South of the new centreline. As a result, there were less Baily Beads seen and recorded on the video sound track on Tape 2 as our site was much closer to the new centreline than originally planned. My watch was 5 seconds FAST when compared to Peter's GPS time.

Instrumentation

Two instruments mounted on a small altitude-azimuth tripod were collimated by the use of sturdy brackets as shown below in the associated email message. The eclipse was observed using a Sony TE511E video camera with superimposed UT timing and audio recording, with the imaging undertaken without interruption for the complete eclipse from first to fourth contact. A two layer aluminised mylar solar filter was fitted on the two times Sony magnifying lens which was used before and after totality. During totality this filter was removed. All video imaging used manual focusing and manual exposure settings. In addition, a 400 mm focal length telephoto lens and 20 mm focal length orthoscopic eyepiece was used for direct viewing of Baily Beads before and after totality through a single layer of aluminised mylar which was also removed during the time of total eclipse.

A digital camera was used in an attempt to capture images from the 400 mm lens, but overexposure problems were encounter and the Ixus Cannon camera was unsuccessful.

Observations

 The video camera audio recording was the primary source of capturing the Baily Beads observed before and after totality through the 400 mm telescope, as it had been proven at the 1999 annular solar eclipse in Geraldton Western Australia, that the video camera's definition was not good enough to record the tiny points of light produced by the photosphere of the Sun when shining through the valleys of the Moon. Numerous beads were observed and the activity was recorded for later analysis by comparison with predictions from David Herald's Occult/Baily Beads software using the corrected GPS coordinates for our site near Mvuu.

Visual observation of the Sun in total eclipse was made through the 400mm telephoto lens and 20 mm orthoscopic eyepiece at around 30 times magnification. The image was crystal clear and three prominences were immediately seen at around 15 to 30 degrees position angle (PA), with a fourth very large prominence at 85 degrees PA followed by a fifth smaller prominence at 10 degrees PA. Filaments were not readily observed in the outer corona but were recorded on the video camera as shown in the associated images web page. This eclipse had far less emotional impact for me than my other successful solar eclipses seen in Indonesia and New Guinea.

Analysis

David Herald's Occult/Baily Beads software was used to produced timing predictions for beads at the corrected Mvuu site location:

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Baily Beads Observed by Byron Soulsby on 2001 June 21 from Mvuu, Zambia Africa
			NEAREST		NEAREST
Time		Observed R	Predicted R	Observed L	Predicted L
		R cusp is WA 33 to 107 degrees		L cusp is WA 107 to 145 degrees
13 h 08 m UT
7s	formed		07m 59s
22s	forming		08m 15s
29s	breaking
38s	very noticeable		08m 35s
42s	very strong bead
50s	slowly fading
53s	gone
13 h 09 m UT
13s		forming	09m 08s
15s				forming
16s		still forming
33s		broken
36s		bead
39s		starting to break
25s		bead
48s		just gone
58s				forming
13 h 10 m UT
01s		forming
07s				breaking, gone
23s				two beads forming	10m 24s
29s				another bead, gone	10m 29s
33s				another bead, gone	10m 33s
35s		whole string of 3 to 4	10m 35s
38s		many beads	10m 38s
41s		gone
44s		big beads	10m 44s
48s		gone
53s		another bead
56s		Totality for 3m 07s		Filters OFF
13 h 11 m UT
45s				large prominence
13 h 12 m UT
11s		many prominences 3
23s		one more prominence
13 h 14 m UT
03s		diamond ring		Filters ON
		images lost		Images lost for 4 minutes
13 h 20 m UT
03s		regained images
14 h 27m UT
13s		Fourth contact
Only 10 observed beads are near to those times predicted by Dave Herald's Baily Bead Visual Basic Program.
Video running time for totality etc is 8 minutes
Byron Soulsby
15 August 2001 file Excel BailyBeads

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Comparison

The recorded Baily Beads, which include a video timing correction of minus 2m 16s are compared in the spreadsheet above with those predicted for the corrected Mvuu observing site.

Conclusions

Only ten of the Baily Beads observed compared well with those predicted and data for Watts limb correction for the Moon was obtained together with magnificent views of the five solar prominences. Even though this eclipse when compared to other recent events, was generally described as 'tame', the two week long expedition had the added interest of long bus drives in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana and included many game safaris, the opportunity to video record many exotic animals, including leopards and a very close-up hyena on two night safaris, as well as many other animals during our afternoon cruise on the Chobe River, where water buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodiles, lioness, baboons and others, such as many species of lizards and birds, were seen and recorded on my video camera.

Another highlight of the expedition was the exciting viewing of the magnificent Victoria Falls from both the Zambia side and later the Zimbabwe side of the mighty Zambezie River. Many photographs were taken of the falls and a video record was made from the Zimbabwe side at ground level and from the height of 180 meters from a tethered helium filled balloon.

The eclipse was after all the primary reason for the expedition, and to experience once again the privilege of viewing our Sun's atmosphere under unique conditions made this trip probably the best in my life time - it was a pity I was not accompanied by my new fiancÈe whom had to remain in Australia. All being well, Fay will certainly be with me at all future eclipses, especially in Ceduna South Australia in 2002 December 4.

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Byron, from Bexley, UK and Calwell, ACT Australia

Prepared 29 June 2001, amended 14 August 2001 as Safari.html

an e-mail from my mate Neil Speirs,

Byron, hope you had a good time in England. I attach a couple of photos and the complete limerick set. All the best, Neil Speirs

PS these are the "large" option photos and you might need a bit of scroll bar DAY 1

DAY 1

Iíve seen these eclipse freaks before.

TOTALITY! They all just want MORE!

Theyíll even sit tight

For a 14-hour flight

And dinner at quarter to four.

DAY 2

I thought Africa was going to be tough

And some roads are, indeed, a bit rough

But this lodge life is easy

The Limpopoís not greasy

And the couscous! I canít get enough.

DAY 3

Africa! Lots of strange creatures there

I saw a big dog, and a great bear

A lilac-breasted roller

A green-flash patroller

A neutrino, and a collapsing deck-chair,

DAY 4

Straight from breakfast to bus we all strode

And weíre wrecked from all day on the road

With our feet disinfected

And our khybers compacted

And our brains a brick shy of a load.

DAY 5

There was Harvey and Pheneas and us

On a 16-seat Gecko Tours bus

We started the day

Throwing passports away

And ended with a hippopotamus.

DAY 6

Weíll dream of what we saw and we heard

Weíll dream of elephants, not just their turds

Weíll dream of ferry-boat queues

And the thundering hooves

Of the phantom buffalo herd

DAY 7

What did we see today, on the bush track?

We saw two Kenworths, six Whites and a Mack

Six Volvos, a Scania,

A Merc B-double trailer,

And Gecko in the dust at the back

DAY 8 (eclipse day, two limericks)

Weíd like these eclipses coming sooner

Especially if theyíre solar, not lunar

The Zambia expedition

Was a successful mission

See you next year in Ceduna.

At totality our breaths we were bating

We said This is what for we were waiting

A party resulted

We all got occulted

Tomorrow weíll need collimating.

DAY 9

Vic Falls and elephants. We must

See the big things in Africa, I trust

But today, well we all

Discovered the small

We got very familiar with dust.

DAY 10

Iíve been on many fine journeys and tripses

By car, bike, train, bus, plane, and shipses

But this Victoria Falls

Has outdone them all

Forget about them total eclipses.

DAY 11

The eclipse and Vic Falls were the best

But we must not forget all the rest

The post-eclipse bash

The elusive green flash

And the hotel lawns, mowed by a guest.

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LIMERICK FOR HARVEY

The clients kept running away

The camp staff got drunk on the day

The flu it was cruel

There was no diesel fueló

We hope the eclipse was OK.